32 A Small Banquet

"Hey, my audition is over. See you later!" Meeting Zhang Fenghe again, Lu Ze said a few words with a polite nod and took his leave. As he walked, he felt his feet somewhat soft and knees faintly shaking. He could still feel his palms slightly wet from sweat. He was still nervous, very nervous.

Sitting in the elevator, he arrived downstairs and took out a cigarette beside the trashcan. He could feel his hands somewhat shaking as he ignited the lighter. After taking a deep puff, he finally felt a bit at ease.

With the cigarette in his mouth, he raised his hand in the sky and waved as he felt a faint coolness from his palms. It was the sweat evaporating.

It was two in the noon but Lu Ze saw no reason to stay since he was told he would only get the result upon his return. With that in mind, he bought a train ticket and returned to Hengdian.

…

Knock, knock!

"Come in."

On this day, Lu Ze had come to the actors' union to find Zeng Long so he could invite him for dinner. Since the latter had shown such care for him, Lu Ze would not forget his kindness regardless of whether he passed the audition or not. He was busy preparing for the auditions during the past few days so he would make sure to let the latter drink to his heart's content as gratitude.

"Brother Zeng, are you busy?"

"Oh, you're back? How did it go? Did you make it?"

Lu Ze was quite confident as he felt that his performance was quite good while his acting was solid. The three interviewers also seemed quite satisfied so he did not think he would not get the job. However, the results were still pending, and to say that he made it, would merely be slapping his face if he were wrong later. Thus, he could not answer with confidence and could only take a seat while offering a cigarette.

"Who knows! I feel that my performance was quite decent so I'll leave the rest to fate. If it's yours, then it's yours. If it's not, there's no point in needlessly worrying."

"I admire you, kid, for this. Your heart is pretty big. If it were me, I guess I wouldn't even be able to sleep. So, what are you here for then?"

Lu Ze saw an old fashioned match-box on Zeng Long's desk, seemingly taken from the production crew. He picked it up and gave it a shake before taking out a match, lighting with a slash against the box before lighting Zeng Long's and his own cigarette. With a fling of his hand, he extinguished the match and threw it into the ash-tray. Holding the cigarette in his mouth while dumping the remaining matches on the table and arranging them in a square, he spoke with a lowered head, "When will you get off work? Your boy is inviting you for drinks. I was busy practicing dialogues for the past few days. Today, it seems like I'm finally free from exams and I'm feeling quite relaxed. So, what do you say? Wanna let off some steam?"

"Alright. I'll be off in fifteen minutes. Just wait for me, oh right…" Zeng Long's bad habits again kicked in. He leaned in and whispered in Lu Ze's ear, "What about that thing I asked you? Have you replied in the past few days?"

That… Lu Ze had truly asked. Of course, he did not openly ask like an idiot. He said that he had a friend interested in discussing a long term friendly cooperation with the girl and obtained her card. He even brought that card with him today.

"You're really something… Hold on… Let me find it." Rummaging through his bag, Lu Ze saw that office still had some staff walking around. Thus, he squeezed the card under his sleeve and stealthily passed it to Zeng Long.

"I'm telling you, I'm not going to pimp for you. If you get caught by the police, don't tell them I introduced you to the girl. Don't end up throwing me under the bus. I can't afford to get tainted at such a young age, alright? Her name is Miaomiao. Just tell her that you're Lu-er's friend. You can decide the rates on your own, and you can rest assured about her looks."

Seeing the nude girl on the card aroused Zeng Long. As an old bachelor, he was not thick-skinned enough to find female specials himself. At last, he made it in. Who knew if his lower section was still active, but his face was flushed entirely at the very least.

"Excellent! Today, big brother will invite you! You don't have to invite me. I'm the one who needs to thank you."

"Hey, what about you? With you much you make, why don't you find a younger female actress to live with? At the very least, you'll have a hot dinner waiting for you and won't have to zip up and return home only to gnaw on cornbread. There ought to be some good ones in this line of work, no? Why not settle down a bit? I'm sincerely advising you."

"I don't think that. I heard that girl you lived with before, didn't she leave you too? Women of Hengdian, heh? Can we truly trust each other? Instead of developing feelings over time and getting hurt later, why not just spend money on bodily needs?"

This b*stard Zeng Long was indeed quite open-minded. He would rather spend money than have a girlfriend. Lu Ze was also not in any position to speak. After all, he had also suffered such a betrayal.

As Lu Ze held a matchstick in his mouth, Zeng Long sorted out his things before the two left. Soon, they found a good-quality restaurant for ordinary people. Zeng Long told him simply to find a small restaurant but he was quite satisfied with Lu Ze's selection. It was not about showing off but conveying one's attitude.

'I found you such a good job, and you are trying to fool me by taking me to a little restaurant.' It also showed one's character. Either one was a fool with low EQ or too stingy, neither of which were traits Zeng Long would like to have any relationship with.

Fortunately, Lu Ze didn't let him down. Aside from treating him with great food and drinks, he also expressed his sincere gratitude. Lu Ze was well-versed in maintaining social relationships and the ways of the world.

The two drank a lot. Five hundred milliliters of white wine and two cases of beers. The two were quite matched, both having exceptional drinking capacity.

Lu Ze somewhat looked like someone who could really drink with his massive frame. However, Zeng Long, this Zhejiang, with one seventy meters height and fifty kilograms weight, could surprisingly drink as well. He neatly took his shots and, like Lu Ze, was still holding himself quite well.

"Lu-er, going by your words before, that role shouldn't be a problem for you, right? It's more or less already in your hand, right?"

"How can I dare say that? Who knew if they slept through my performance! I can't do it, can't say it."

"Being full of yourself, aren't you? Come, let's go one more round! Your future days in Hengdian might be quite limited. You can really drink. Not to boast, but normal people can't hold a candle to me. Sigh, you'll be the first role accepted on my recommendation. With your acting skills, you will surely become famous. I can boast about drinking with you so much in the future."

As they took another shot, a clamor of loud laughter came from the private booth beside them. From the voice, this bunch did not seem too old. Who knew where such a group was from!

One young fellow had drunk too much. Opening the door, he headed to the bathroom to vomit. Soon, several other young men and women came following out after him. Lu Ze glanced at them and found them a bit strange. They couldn't be extras either with such bright attires.

"Hey, big brother Zeng, where did this bunch of little guys and girls come from? They weren't here before."

All of them had accents from everywhere. They were foreigners, and what the hell were foreigners doing in Hengdian? Thus, he asked Zeng Long. As long as they were working here, Zeng Long would undoubtedly be aware. The information network of the union was not just for show.

'Who? Oh them? University students."

"University students? Working here? Are they trying to experience life?"

Zeng Long stared blankly for a moment. Holding the wine cup, he laughed while staring at Lu Ze, "Your guess is on point. They are indeed here to experience life. They come with their teachers to act as extras."

Holding a piece of cucumber in his chopsticks, Lu Ze stuffed it in his mouth and curled his lips. "They have way too much time on their hands. There is usually not a single university student here, so why have the winds changed now? Something like 'Agriculture experience for urban intellectuals'?"

"Hey! Do you think Hengdian is backwoods? Who told you students didn't come here? They just didn't come during the two years you worked here. There was a student before who almost died during a shoot from an accident. Thus, they stopped for a few years. They are simply starting again now."

"I still feel it's wasteful. They are from college. In the future, they wouldn't go as far down as being forced to become extras. Putting students through such torture, why bother?"

"Are they bothering you? Are they taking your money? Just eat! Come, let's cheers!"